Rosh Hashanah Stock Image

Jewish New Year-Dr. Seuss Style-artiphoria_DDNK-Dmitri David Nikolaevich Kovtunov. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, a two-day celebration that marks the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days. It occurs on the first two days of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, usually falling in September or October in the Gregorian calendar. Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of the world and begins the Ten Days of Repentance, which culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.During Rosh Hashanah, Jews reflect on the past year, seek forgiveness for their sins, and make resolutions for the coming year. Traditional customs include attending synagogue services, where the shofar (a ram's horn) is blown as a call to repentance. Special foods are eaten, such as apples dipped in honey to symbolize hopes for a sweet new year, and round challah bread to represent the cyclical nature of the year. Many also participate in Tashlikh, a ceremony where sins are symbolically cast off into a body of flowing water.